Thursday, 2 July 2015

'You look disgusting', words you should never hear from a stranger but I know all too well what it's like to hear those words, just like Em Ford. She has just produced a ground breaking video called '#YOULOOKDISGUSTING'.

If you haven't read Em's blog or watched her Youtube Channelyou are missing out. Em recently got a lot of negative comments on pictures and videos which she posts. She never hides her acne at the beginning of tutorials, which I think is amazingly brave. She shows how make-up can transform you but in turn she received horrible comments suggesting that she was fake and disgusting.

I couldn't believe people's ignorance! Acne is very debilitating mentally, I can't believe people actually find acne as an excuse to bully and say negative things. Acne is something that happens hormonally and cannot be just be controlled by just washing your face, if anything people with acne probably wash their face more times than the average person.

Acne ranges from a few spots to painful sores and cysts, neither should an excuse to bully someone. I fought long and hard with my acne and my self esteem.

My Acne Story

If you've been a long time reader, you'll know I suffered from horrific acne since I was very young. People in school would joke that they could play dot to dot on my face and would stare and talk about me in the corridor. School wasn't a great time for me, I was very self conscious of my skin and from a very, very young age I started wearing make-up to hide my flaws.

A strong course of Accutane/ Roaccutane was suggested, it was a horrific experience, which caused depression and mental health issues, as well as the more obvious side effects like skin peeling off in sheets, dandruff and dry, coarse hair. Looking back I was so desperate to find a fix, I was willing to put my mental health on the line. After the treatment finished I was left with clear skin but the long term effects of depression and anxiety have stayed with me.

'I wish I could be pretty, I wish I could have clear skin, I wish I could go without make-up, I wish I didn't feel so self-concious', these are all the thoughts that have come from this skin condition. A feeling of self-doubt is always with me. I adore my boyfriend and feel comfortable with him but I still feel awful not wearing any make-up around him. I feel like he shouldn't have to look at my horrible scars. Of course, he is 100% supportive and likes me both with and without make-up. I just can shake off the self-doubt.

Nearly 10 years down the line after that treatment, I still have horrific acne scarring. For 80% off the time my skin is clear but occasionally I will get incredibly painful cystic spots which take weeks to heal.

My battle with acne is still very current and Em's video resonated with me. I know how soul destroying nasty comments can be. We shouldn't be judged on our looks, we should be judged on our merits. It's shameful that people can't look past a few spots and see the real person behind it.

Em's video has really opened my eyes, we should empower each other no matter what we look like. I shouldn't have to hide behind make-up and fear what people will say about my skin.

Time to change you ignorant bastards, judge people not on their skin but their personality and merits!

Well done Em, you've raised so much awareness and I know some many people have been touched by your campaign.

8 comments

I watched this too last night and no video has ever affected me so much. I too suffer from hormonal adult acne and those dreaded and nasty cystic ones and have had people tell me I need cosmetic surgery to fix my deformed face etcIt's an amazing video and I hope it gets the awareness and views it deservesx

I love Em's videos! I'm 24 and acne is something I have struggled with for 10 years now, I've had 2 courses of Roaccutane (positive thankfully) and I still get breakouts that last ages and add to existing scarring. Make up gives me confidence as does seeing other people with acne/scarring who aren't afraid to show their face without makeup! It makes me feel like I'm not the only one!

This is wonderful! I went through the exact same thing and I think it's so great when I see people openly show and talk about their acne! I hope I can one day soon share my story as well! Brilliant post! xxxsamanthalfrances.blogspot.com

This is a wonderful post and the video was so inspiring! After having a close friend suffer from acne so badly she couldn't sleep on her pillow because it would bleed everywhere, like you went through depression as a side-effect and also had her growth stunted it was jaw-dropping to see how ignorant people still are about acne and what causes it! Not to mention cruel! It's such a painful medical condition that can affect a person in so many ways, I hope this educates people xx